THE LEGEND

The Lizard people who lived among the Demons’ Teeth below the mountain holdfasts of the ancient Sakkala tribe had herded their stock for longer than time remembered. It was only in the shaded mazes at the base of those scattered stone pillars that their scaled mounts could make their home out of the hard sunlight. The beasts were short and slight, well suited for stalking, and could leap to strike from cover in those close confines with their powerful limbs and tail. A skilled rider could use a well pointed goad to direct them towards man or beast alike, and even with their own arachnid mounts, the Sakkala were loathe to pass among the Teeth.

In time, the lure of trade and open lands beyond the far steppes proved too strong, and the Sakkala came down to put the lizard people of the Teeth under the yoke as they had done with so many other races and fledgling civilizations. They made their camps in the open where the sun shone strongest, and they were safe as long as day held. It was by the sound of the dry winds that whistled through the Teeth at dusk that they learned. The lizard people rode their scaled mounts on those winds as the sun’s rays faded and sprang through the tight ranks of their foes. The edge and point of their goads were keen, and the men from the mountain fell to claw and blade, their spears useless, their giant spider mounts torn limb from limb and gobbled up..

POWERS OF THE SWORD

The Goad is a short hafted Coronatite bladed weapon that serves two purposes. The first purpose is to first dominate, and then control, a giant lizard mount.

To dominate a giant lizard, a young apprentice Lizard rider must first catch the beasts attention so that its eyes are drawn to the shining surface of the naked blade – a task easier said than done, but if done correctly – the Giant lizard will be enthralled by its own reflection and rooted to the spot.

From there, the would be rider must quickly mount the back of said beast, and use the points of the blade on pressure points at the base of the mounts skull until he has it firmly under his control – a task which only 1 in 3 prospective riders are able to achieve (with a 90% fatality rate from being eaten alive if it all goes wrong).

The second purpose of the goad, of course, is in combat. While the lizard people use a wide variety of hafted weapons, especially spears, javelins and wicker shields – in the heat of combat young Lizard people braves may jump from their mount and set upon their opponents at close range with the goad, either singly of used together as a pair, and fight with a berserk and terrifying fury.

Inherently magical, the Goad is an unusual Coronatite weapon and has been forged by the Lizard peoples for millennia and traded with other tribal groups in the area for its strength and deadly effectiveness in combat, and is a popular side arm for the Sakkala spider riders.

THE SWORD

The Goad was designed by SBG member ‘mbadexample’ and selected by us to be made as a prize by Chris Palmer in the USA of Scorpion Swords.

The blade is monotempered 1095 carbon steel, tempered for maximum durability, and given a sturdy one piece ‘nothing can go wrong’ construction with full sandwich tang.

STATISTICS:

Blade Length: 17″

Blade Width: 4″ (widest, point to point)

Handle Length: 6.5″

Handle Width: 1.25″

Weight: 2.6lbs

Point of Balance: 5.5″ from guard

Summary: In a word, intimidating. Has been described by the winner of the competition and designer “When it gets moving in a continuous arc like a mace, it feels like nothing could stop it.”